Upcoming: Carnival of Gentle Discipline

Gentle Discipline is one of the terms used to describe a parenting style that is unconditional and non-punitive both emotionally and physically.

Submit original posts, best already published posts by you or other bloggers, and 411 Tweet-length tips! You can write about any topic related to gentle discipline — some suggestions are personal experiences, how you came to GD, resisting pressure to discipline punitively, using time-in instead of time-out, or the dangers of praise.

Getting the word out about the dangers of punitive discipline and about the valuable alternatives that exist can make a difference in the life of children everywhere. You can use your blog posts and the Carnival posts to spread the word! Tweet the Carnival (#CarGD and/or #gentlediscipline) post it on Facebook and get the word out. The more people who read about Gentle Discipline the more likely that we can change one child’s life for the better.

So go grab the button for your sidebar, submit articles for the carnival, and promote the type of discipline that nurtures and protects!

Along the same lines, My World Edenwild has a wonderful Parent With Gentle Love pledge you can sign and a beautiful button to grab once you do.

When I think of a "blanket" approach to parenting…something that would probably work for every family, I think of parenting the way Jesus would. And when I think of how Jesus would parent, I can only imagine him being loving, respectful, and gentle. He wouldn’t hit, reprimand, or punish. He wouldn’t leave a child alone in tears. In every image I have in my head regarding Jesus and children, I see him full of love and gentleness.

You don’t have to be Christian to take this pledge. You only have to promise to yourself to try your best to be gentle, respectful, and loving to children, most especially your own. And you have to promise that you will be gentle with yourself, and forgive yourself when you aren’t perfect.

Upcoming: Blog for Fair Pay Day

April 20th will mark Equal Pay Day—the point in 2010 when the average woman's wages finally catch up with what the average man earned in 2009.
…
The theme for this year’s Blog for Fair Pay Day is, “What would it mean if there weren’t a $10,662 wage gap?”
…
When President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law last year, it restored the right to hold employers accountable in court for wage discrimination. But significant as it is, the fight for pay equity is not over. Women still only make 77 cents for every dollar earned by men—and for women of color, the numbers are even worse: African-American women make 69 cents and Latinas make 59 cents for every dollar paid to men. In order for women to be able to successfully challenge pay discrimination, the law must be improved.

A bill before the Senate, the Paycheck Fairness Act, would update and strengthen the law in important ways and would give women the tools they need to hold their employers accountable.

Upcoming: Carnival of Feminist Parenting

The Carnival of Feminist Parenting is a two-monthly carnival, highlighting some of the very best writing about issues in feminist parenting, particularly feminist motherhood. … If you think it’s relevant to feminist motherhood/parenting, then it probably is.

Submit your posts or links to others' posts, and give Anji ideas about how better to promote the carnival.

Upcoming: Crafting my Life Link-up

April’s Crafting my Life series is about dealing with negativity. On the last Thursday of the month, which just happens to be the 29th, I will include a link up. To participate, write a post on this month’s theme anytime in April, or track down a post you’ve written on the subject sometime in the past, and add yourself to the list. Then read everyone else’s ideas and thoughts and be inspired!

Now live! Body Image Carnival

Go browse through both their blogs from April 12 on to read collections of links to body-image posts, as well as product reviews and giveaways from companies that promote healthy body image. There are some wonderful nursing bras and clothing, for instance, last I looked!

The post I submitted was "Hello, I'm a dancer" if you haven't had a chance to read it yet. That's me being all dancer-y in that picture. Hey, at least I'm flexible!

Just a note that my post is included in the section on how pushing can go well even if your baby weighs 11+ pounds — and I have company in that category. Hooray for our bodies and their wonderful abilities!

Then check out the newest Simplisse manual breast pump I was privileged to review. It's a breast pump that uses new technology to replicate a baby's gentle compression of your breasts, rather than a pulling and suction on your nipples as is the case with other pumps. The breastfeeding accessories accompanying it, plus the breast pump, come to a whopping $116 value!

7
comments:

I'm feeling a little inundated with all the carnivals, aren't you? I think it's paralyzed me to the point where I can't even go read all the lovely posts! (Well, except yours and other blogs I normally read). I guess I could try to read a few more...

And thanks for blogging about the gentle love pledge! I really hope it helps more people realize that they don't have to use harsh methods to raise their children.

For our Carnival of Natural Parenting, we divide participants up into commenting groups of 6-7 blogs each. That way, they don't feel obligated to read and comment on all 34 (in this instance) but can if they want. Maybe you could do something similar in your own mind. :) Just pick the articles that sound interesting to you and focus on those few.

I find my Google Reader just as intimidating and can easily spend hours following all the links. I've had to impose limits on how much I read and let the guilt at not being a completist go.

thanks for the equal pay alert! I just sent a message to my senator. It's insane we're still not there yet.

When I was a small girl I would picket with my mom and her co-workers demanding equal pay in the 70s. Women with the same education and job as men were paid HALF!! HALF!!

The excuse employers (even govt) made that women didn't need a full paycheck was cuz they were living at home and mooching off of daddy until they got married and then they were being taken care of by a husband. So the paycheck was for superflous things like makeup and sexy clothes. Not trying to feed 4 children with the dead-beat dad nowhere in sight.

We still have a lot to do with getting more women in management. It will be nice for pay to be equal per position, but it would be nice to see more women in high-paying positions of power... That is how those jobs will be made more family-friendly, too. I'm sure men don't like working 70 hours a week either.

This month has been a BIG one for carnivals - I empathize with Lisa C. In fact, I'm really glad you posted this - with all of the time I've spent writing for the carnivals, I haven't even had a chance to look at my Reader in almost a week and had no idea some of these were live. Oops!

Geeks in Rome: Thanks for inspiring my next post! HALF!! Ack. It's really making me mad that anyone ever thought women deserved less because they theoretically had a daddy or husband taking care of them. As if unmarried men were paid less than men with families!

Dionna: I'm still catching up, too! And my back went out, so I lost a couple days in there.

Jessica: "Thorough" is nicer than "obsessive," which is the word I usually use, so thank you!

read my books

meet hobo mama

Riding the rails with my husband, Crackerdog Sam, and our hobo kids, Mikko Lint Picker (born June 2007), Alrik Irontrousers (born May 2011), and one on the way (coming October 2014). Trying every day to parent intentionally and with grace.